Activity at Edgeley Road

 

Purple Hairstreak butterfly at Prees Heath. It seems to have been a bumper year for them, on that site at least.

White Lion Meadow (Tesco) vole.

Raft spiderlings seen on Whixall Moss.

The Big Butterfly Count 2023

 

Comma and Small White

Silver Studded Blues

Small Copper

Gatekeeper

Purple Hairstreak

Holly Blue

Gatekeepers

Comma

Common lizard

Elusive Water Voles

Plenty of water voles about at the moment, but photos are hard to come by. (Ignore the date and time on the video: the clock needs re-setting.)

 

Butterflies Incoming!

 

Red Admiral

Wood White

Small Tortoiseshell. Apparently they like dog poo because they need salt.

Small Skipper (I think).

Ringlet

Red Admiral

Purple Hairstreak

Painted Lady

Meadow Brown

Gatekeeper

Silver-washed fritillaries

Commas

Most of these were taken at Bury Ditches. The Purple Hairstreak was on Prees Heath.

Foxy Business

 

Moth trapping on Whixall Moss and in my garden: Large Emerald, Garden Tiger, Scalloped Shell and Elephant Hawk. Our moth numbers and species have increased significantly now we have so much lawn given over to wildflowers.

Below, a White Admiral we saw on a guided walk by West Midlands Butterfly Group. We also saw a Marbled White, an Essex Skipper and a Silver Washed Fritillary.

Below, a tatty Purple Hairstreak.

Water vole-feeding and a latrine at Edgeley Road.

Out walking, I spotted this vixen watching me. She was not willing to leave so I suspect she was guarding cubs. I left her in peace.